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Binge Drinking Dangers for Young People

For millions of young adults in this country, the weekend will pass in an alcoholic blur. They'll toss down drink after drink as fast as they can. Then they'll throw up, pass out, revive themselves—and reach for more booze. For one or two of these otherwise healthy kids, the next drinking binge could end in death.

Binge drinking is drinking to get drunk—the point at which drinking can lead to health or behavioral problems. For men, that means having 5 or more drinks, one right after the other. Women have a lower tolerance for alcohol. So their binges are defined as 4 or more drinks in a row.

Overall alcohol use among young people has decreased in recent years. But the number of binge drinkers remains high.

Bad habit

By the time they're college seniors, most students moderate their drinking. But by then, many already have been hurt by their bouts of heavy drinking.

Besides the risk of death from overdose, binge drinking involves other dangerous or negative consequences, including: